Cassia
by Vixen-Von-Rouge
Summary: After twelve years, Cassia returns home to find her younger brother, Kai, the only member of her family still living in their mansion. Unusual situations occur as Kai tries to make her feel accepted in the normal world - but things don't always go to plan
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Beyblade, Claymore or any of their characters.

Rating: T for violence, minor course language, mention of drinking/smoking and possible suggestive adult themes.

Summary: After twelve years of being locked away in a secret facility, Cassia Hiwatari finally returns home to find her younger brother, Kai, the only member of her family still living in their Russian mansion. The unusual situation gets wierder and wierder as Kai tried to help Cassia feel as fit she fits into the world she's been kept from for so long by introducing her to some of his friends. But things never end up going the way you planned.

* * *

"Congratulations, you have passed all your tests and reached the level of skill required to receive your personal emblem and will therefore be sent back to your city of origin which will become your territory. Protect your territory well, young warrior, for we do not want to have to replace you too quickly."

The person that is being addressed looks up slowly, carefully eyeing the man that is standing before her, speaking to her in a deep, commanding voice that reminds her of a past that she has long forgotten.

"I understand, Director," she replies.

"Good. It has been arranged for you to be transported back to your home in Moscow tonight. That is unless you have other settlement plans," the man says.

"No, I plan to return to my home," the girl pauses for a moment, "There are people I wish to see again."

"Very well, Cassia."

XXXXXXXXXX

Packing the last of her few belongings, Cassia pulls the zip on the bag shut and sighs. This time tomorrow she will be home. Home; a place she hasn't seen since she was nine-years old, a place that she barely remembers, a place that only brings her faint memories of fear. But none of it matters anymore. She is a different person now and fear is a word that rarely comes into play.

"When do you leave?" a soft voice asks, breaking Cassia's chain of thought.

"Soon," she replies.

"Do you think you're ready?" the voice asks.

Cassia turns to look at the girl sitting on the bed on the opposite side of the room. She's perched on the edge with her knees pulled up to her chest, her arms wrapped around them and her chin resting on top.

"What do you mean?"

"Do you think you're ready to go home? Do you think you're ready to face the real world? All this time, no matter what we've been put through, it's all happened within this facility. We haven't ever had to go beyond these walls."

"I don't know, Natasha," Cassia says, thoughtfully as she walks over to the bed and sits down next to the girl, "We all have to leave here at some point and the Director feels that I am ready. I cannot argue with his decision and I don't plan to."

The girl nods her head slowly in response. Strands of platinum blonde hair fall down from behind her ears as she does this. The two of them sit in silence for a short while.

"I guess you're right," Natasha says finally, "My apologies. I shouldn't sound so negative. I don't doubt your abilities, Cassia."

"I know. It's okay. It's only natural to be curious about these things. Even people like us still retain the ability to wonder," Cassia says.

The edges of Natasha's mouth curve upwards into a slight smile, "I'll miss you."

The words are so sudden and unexpected that Cassia can do nothing to prevent herself from replying with anything but raw truth, "I'll miss you too."

"You will?"

"Yes, of course. We've been in each other's company since the day I arrived here and nothing can break the bond which we share; much like sisters. And I promise, no matter how long it takes, we will cross paths again one day."

Natasha's smile broadens at these words and her eyes light up. She places her hand atop of Cassia's and speaks, "One day. I look forward to it."

Just at this moment, a man dressed in black appears in the doorway of the room. He clears his throat loudly to make his presence known. Both Cassia and Natasha turn to face him.

"Cassia, your transport to Moscow awaits you," he announces, "Please, gather the belongings you have packed and follow me."

"Yes, Sir," Cassia responds, turning back to Natasha and placing a single kiss on her forehead before standing up and slinging the very light bag over her shoulder. Just as she is walking through the doorway, she turns back to the now teary-eyed girl, "Be safe, Natasha."

Receiving a silent nod in response, Cassia then follows the man in black down the corridor, for what she expects to be the last time, passing many doors identical to the one that she has just walked out of. Once they reach the end of the long corridor, the heavy metal doors that lead into the Director's chamber tower before them but the man leads Cassia to the left and down another shorter corridor that has no doors except for one smaller, heavy metal set that she knows lead to the outdoor training grounds.

The doors are opened slowly by two guards and once outside the cool, fresh air flows gently through Cassia's wavy hair. At the end of the long path leading from the doors to the only gateway to the outside world, a black car waits with its engine running. The man leading Cassia turns to her as they reach the car.

"Cassia, this is where we part for now. I must say that I look upon this moment with what I can only describe as pride. I have watched you grow over the years from a small, scared little girl into a strong warrior. You have exceeded many people's expectations and I have no doubt that you will continue to excel. I will be visiting you in order to pass on information about missions and other such things but until then, do try to take care."

"Thank you, Dmitri. Your words are very kind," Cassia replies.

Dmitri opens the car door for Cassia and she slips into the back seat, placing her bag down beside her feet. The door closes and the only sound is the low hum of the car's engine. Another man, also dressed in black, is occupying the front seat. He stares blankly at Cassia through the rear view mirror.

"You must be the new Number One-hundred and sixty. I must congratulate you. You're very young to have reached the level of skill required to obtain an emblem of your own. I have seen so many warriors come and go but only a few have been quite so fresh."

"Your compliments are appreciated but I have only ever done as I have been instructed. How long will it take to reach the city of Moscow?" Cassia asks.

The driver's eyes crinkle around the edges as he gives a slight smile, "We will arrive in Moscow sometime tomorrow in the late afternoon. Until then, feel free to rest or perhaps you would like to see your new uniform. It's in the case to your right."

As he says these words, the car gives a low rev and lurches forward, signalling that the journey home has begun. Cassia turns her head and her eyes fall upon a black briefcase on the seat next to her. Reaching out, she grabs the handle, pulling the surprisingly heavy case over onto her lap.

"Open it at your leisure, my dear. You aren't obliged to wear it at this current moment but once you return home and your duties officially begin it is essential that you adorn yourself with it," the driver says, keeping a constant eye on the road as he speaks.

Cassia looks down at the case, running her thumbs over the gold latches that hold it shut and wonders what her emblem will look like. Slowly, she flips the latches open and lifts the hinged lid.

A barely audible gasp escapes her mouth as the contents of the case are revealed; a soft, light grey two-piece suit similar to the one that she is already wearing except for the distinct V-shaped section of black fabric on the front of it starting from the neck and ending in a point in the middle of the chest area. In the centre of the V, there is a white symbol embroidered into the fabric; the bottom half of a circle with a single vertical line of about two inches running down the centre. This is the emblem that will now distinguish Cassia from all the other warriors within the Organization.

"What do you think of it?"

"It's beautiful," Cassia whispers, lifting the neatly folded suit closer to her face so that she can further study it.

"Well, that's lucky... because you'd be stuck with it whether you liked it or not," the driver states in a tone of voice that sounds amused at the thought of someone despising their own emblem.

Fortunately, Cassia is not listening to his words as she is too absorbed in inspecting the other items within the briefcase which include two extra suits, a set of plated metal forearm guards, a plated metal partial skirt attached to a utility belt, a short hooded cape, a metal collar made to protect the neck, plated metal shoulder armour that clip onto the collar to keep them secure as well as having small gaps at the back designed to hold swords in a position where it is easy for them to be accessed and lastly, a pair of knee-high, steel-toed boots with cleverly hidden compartments on the outer sides of each that hold daggers with Cassia's emblem carved into them.

Eventually, Cassia stops admiring her new uniform and succumbs to the need for relaxation before she has to face the reality of returning to the house that holds so many memories. She leans her head against the cold car window and closes her eyes.


	2. Chapter 2

Cassia awakes suddenly as the car gives a jolt. Her eyes fly open and she sits upright, turning her head from side to side in slight confusion. Slowly, her senses return to her and she remembers what is going on.

"Good afternoon," the driver says to her.

By looking out of the window Cassia is able to see that he is correct, it is afternoon and the sun is beginning to sink in the sky.

"How long was I asleep for?" Cassia asks.

"A while. I would imagine your intense training regime at the Organization was very unforgiving on your body; especially on the build up to receiving your emblem. It's only natural that you should need a large amount of rest once you felt more at ease."

"How long until we reach the city?"

"My, my, you are impatient. I would say we'll reach Moscow in about an hour or so."

"I apologise for being so abrupt. Perhaps I am more anxious about returning home than I anticipated."

"It's quite alright. Compared to some of your fellow warriors, your manners are much more pleasant to endure," the driver says, "Is there any particular reason you're so nervous about returning home?"

Cassia hesitates momentarily at the driver's question. It's rare that she opens up to anyone about her past and even when she does, she is never totally at ease with it but she decides she has nothing to lose by telling him.

"I was not an orphan bought from an orphanage or brought in from the streets by the Organization. I was sent away by my family because I wasn't wanted. I haven't seen any of them since I was very young," she replies.

"Oh, how traumatic that must have been for you. It's extremely rare that a girl is brought in by her own family or voluntarily joins the Organization. I can't imagine how you must be feeling about facing the people that had you confined for so long," the driver seems as if he is trying to sound genuinely sorry for her but Cassia can feel that he doesn't care much for tragic stories of childhood woes.

The rest of the car journey is relatively quiet but the tension in Cassia's stomach grows by the minute. Soon they are driving through the city of Moscow. Buildings tower overhead and it's getting dark; there are shopkeepers pulling down the shutters on their shops whilst bars and clubs are just opening their doors to customers. Normal people with normal lives, all of whom have no idea that the person who will protect them from one of their biggest threats is being transported right past them.

Once they have driven past the centre of the city, the driver makes his way into the suburban area where there are more houses as opposed to tall blocks of apartments. Eventually the car weaves its way up a less populated road and comes to a set of huge iron gates. The vehicle slows to a halt just in front of them.

"Wait here one moment," the driver says, stepping out of the car and walking up to the concrete column supporting the right hand gate.

Once he returns and takes his place in the front seat again, Cassia is able to see a small, shiny metal rectangle embedded in the concrete which must be some sort of intercom. The gates open automatically and the car moves slowly forward again.

"Technology has definitely evolved in the last decade or so since I was last here," Cassia comments quietly, the tense knot in her stomach growing tighter, "We used to have day and night guards at those gates instead of some fancy security system."

"Yes, I'm sure a lot has changed since the last time you were here but I'm also sure that you'll adjust in time," the driver says, turning the wheel of the car as it pulls around a neatly kept circular flower bed in the centre of the gravel driveway and stops directly in front of the house, "Well, here we are."

Perhaps house is the wrong word to describe the Hiwatari residence. A lot of people would consider it to be one step short of a castle due to the lack of any turrets but such a magnificent building could only be otherwise known as a mansion. Stone walls tower three storeys high with casement windows inset at regular intervals, the inside view blocked by thick, burgundy drapes. A set of huge, oak doors breaks the alternation of stone and glass, looming overhead like a portal into the past.

Whilst Cassia is speechlessly staring out of the car window, the driver shuts off the car engine and swivels his body around to look at her.

"Are you ready?" he asks.

"As ready as I am ever going to be," Lucy replies, not meeting his eyes.

"Good girl. Begin as you mean to continue; your current attitude is a wise way of thinking," he smiles at her before getting out of the car and opening Cassia's door for her.

Cassia steps out with her bag slung over one shoulder and holding the briefcase in her hand. The driver goes to the trunk of the car leaving Cassia to wait patiently. She sighs, mentally preparing herself for any possible scenario that could occur once she steps inside those large wooden doors.

Suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, Cassia sees a glint of light. Lifting her head to look in the direction of the source, she spots a face peeking out of slightly parted curtains on the second floor of the mansion. Her heart jumps in her chest because she knows that there is only one person whose young, painted face that could have been.

The driver re-emerges from digging through the trunk of the car. He is carrying a something that's long and wrapped in cloth which has been tied in several places.

"This is for you, Number One-hundred and sixty. Use it well," he says, handing it to her.

"Thank you," Cassia replies, bowing her head to him as she takes it with her free hand.

With one last smile, the driver gets back into the car and starts the engine. Cassia watches as the vehicle circles the rest of the way around the flower bed and disappears down the path from which they came in. Taking a deep breath, she turns on her heels and walks up to the front doors, places the briefcase at her feet and knocks three times.

Within a few moments, the sound of several latches and locks being opened comes from the other side of the door. Finally, the door opens and a man in his late fifties stands before her.

"Viktor," Cassia gasps, recognizing the man immediately as her family's faithful butler.

Viktor's greying eyebrows raise in response to hearing his name being said.

"Oh my goodness… Mistress Cassia? Is that you?" he exclaims.

"Yes," Cassia breathes, "It's been a long time."

"Yes, it has," Viktor replies, staring at her with wide eyes and a shocked expression plastered across his face. He shakes his head as if to bring himself back to reality before stepping to the side of the open door, "Come in!"

Cassia picks up the briefcase and walks through the door into the mansions foyer which has dark wood floors with a deep red rug laid out in the centre of the room at the foot of a wide staircase leading up to the second floor. The front door is closed behind her and she turns to look at Viktor.

"Nothing has changed," she says.

"There have been very few alterations to the interior of the house even after all these years. I think the only things that have changed are the number of staff, the security measures and the layout of the gardens," he says, then smiles, "Oh, and the age of the people living here of course."

Cassia smiles back at him. She had always liked Viktor; he was one of the only adults who had ever been genuinely kind to her. At this moment she is thankful that his eyesight must not be what it used to as he seems to be no more afraid of her then he was when she was a small child running around his feet.

Realising that she is still holding all of her belongings, Cassia places her bag, briefcase and package down beside her feet. As she is doing this, she hears quiet footsteps coming from the direction of the staircase. The sound causes her breath to hitch and for a moment she is scared to look up.

"It's you," a voice says.

"Master Kai," Viktor says.

"It's really you," the voice speaks again, ignoring Viktor.

Cassia looks up and her eyes are met by intense crimson ones. The face of the young man they belong to is standing at the bottom of the staircase, staring straight at her with an expression that's almost unreadable due to the sheer amount of mixed emotions running through his head. Slate-coloured hair sticks up at all different angles on his head whilst dark blue hair peeks out from behind his ears, framing his pale face. Apart from his height and build, hardly anything about his defining features has changed since the last time Cassia saw him almost twelve years ago, right down the to two neatly painted blue triangles on either side of his face.

"Kai," Cassia whispers as she walks towards him.

"Cas," he replies.

As the short distance between them closes, Kai takes a step forward. Cassia stops right in front of him, not taking her eyes from him for a second and cups his cheek with her hand. For a moment, the two of them just stand there until they both smile and joyfully fling their arms around each other.

"It's good to see you again, little brother."


	3. Chapter 3

A knock on the door causes both Kai and Cassia's heads to turn.

"Come in," Kai calls.

Viktor enters the room carrying a tray with two steaming mugs and a plate of biscuits on it. He places it down on the low table in front of them.

"I thought you both could do with a soothing drink seeing as you'll no doubt have a lot to talk about," Viktor says, "I'll leave you to it."

"Thank you," Kai smiles, taking one of the mugs.

Once Viktor has left the room, Kai looks over at Cassia who is staring blankly at the brightly lit fireplace. Once their joyful embrace had broken off and they had exchanged a few words about how long it had been since they last laid eyes on each other and how much catching up they needed to do. Then they moved into the sitting room where Kai lit the fire whilst Viktor took Cassia's luggage to her old room.

"I'm sure you have a few unanswered questions that you'd like to ask me," Cassia says, breaking the silence but not moving her gaze.

Kai takes a sip of his hot cocoa before answering, "There's more than a few."

"Go ahead."

"I'm pretty sure the story about you going away to boarding school and living with a friend during the holidays because you didn't want to see your "brat of a brother" isn't the truth. So I guess the first thing I want to know is where you've been all these years?"

"That's what you were told?" Cassia asks, turning to look at Kai.

Kai nods in response and takes another sip of his drink. As he leans forward to place the mug back down onto the tray, Cassia reaches out and touches his arm with her pale, slender fingers. He looks at her hand for a moment, and then moves his eyes to her face.

"If I had the choice, I never would have left," she tells him, an expression of regret contorting her features.

"I know," Kai replies, moving his arm so that her hand slides away but catching it with his own strong, rough hand, holding it comfortingly, "To be honest, seeing you as you are now, I'm getting a pretty good picture of what really happened that day you didn't come home with Father and Grandfather."

"I take it you're referring to my uniform."

"And your eyes."

"I wondered whether you would mention that."

"It's kind of hard to miss unless you're half blind and not wearing your glasses," Kai states, "Red to silver is quite a noticeable change."

"I'm thankful that Viktor wasn't wearing his glasses. It might have been a very different situation if he had been," Cassia sighs.

"Do you think he would have sent you away? Even if he knew it was you? You know, he missed you almost as much as mum and I did," Kai says.

Cassia is saddened by the pain that she can see clearly written all over Kai's face and worries about the answers she will receive to the questions she so desperately wants to ask.

"I gather that no one else is here apart from yourself and Viktor seeing as you were the only person to appear after I entered the house," Cassia says.

"Yeah, I'm the only one that lives here now. Viktor is the only member of staff that stays overnight. The few other staff that still work here leave before it gets dark," Kai answers.

"What has become of the rest of our family?" She asks.

Kai looks away from his sister. Unable to face those piercing, metallic orbs that are filled with the concern and worry built up from years of having no contact, no way of knowing. He exhales loudly through his mouth and closes his eyes.

"I may have been young when you were taken away but that wasn't enough to shield me from what happened once mum found out. Father must of known how she would react if she knew the truth because at first she was told you were accepted into a boarding school too. I'm guessing that once it came to the time when you should have been home for the holidays, they couldn't tell her the same thing I was told. She was distraught; crying all the time, barely eating, refusing to speak to Father, screaming at Grandfather to bring you home and begging him to tell her where he had taken you. I think she thought I didn't notice or that I was too young to put it all together but it was impossible not to see what she was going through," Kai's hand tightens around Cassia's as he grits his teeth and opens his eyes. A lone tear trickles down his cheek, "They ignored it. Father and Grandfather just watched her fall apart in front of them. Viktor and I tried to get her to see a doctor but she wouldn't listen to us. Eventually, she just… stopped functioning."

At this point, Kai's hand is trembling. His last sentence echoes through Cassia's mind and makes her feel sick. She may have been taught to try and avoid forming emotional bonds with anyone but no training at the facility could have prepared her for this. They didn't teach how to sever emotional bonds that already existed.

"What… what do you mean by 'stopped functioning'?" She whispers in a soft voice that reminds Kai of the little girl his sister used to be.

"She was almost catatonic. She stopped crying, stopped talking, only ate if either Viktor or myself fed her, spend most of her days sleeping but even when she was awake she would rarely leave her bed. You would think that it might have made things easier not having to hear her sobbing late into the night but it was so much worse. No doctor or specialist could help her. She was gone. But… she's in a better place now though."

"When did…"

"Just over four years ago."

Kai uses his free hand to grasp the handle of his mug again. He sips from it quietly, allowing Cassia to absorb everything he has told her. After ten minutes pass and Kai has finished his cocoa, he decides that it's his turn to receive some answers.

"You still haven't told me where you've been."

Cassia pulls her hand away from his and rubs her neck thoughtfully, as if trying to figure out how to put the last twelve years into words.

"I've been to a place that could be vaguely described as being a boarding school, I suppose," she replies, a hint of spiteful humour creeping into her words, "It's a facility hidden away in the Kitoy mountain range called the Organization. Girls are brought there at a young age, mostly orphans but some are taken in from the streets, and in exchange for three square meals a day and a bed to sleep in they train us to become their future agents. By joining the Organization you effectively sign your life over to them. There's no way of getting out once you're in and you have to do everything they tell you."

"What happens if you refuse to do as you're told or decide you don't want to be a part of it anymore?" Kai asks.

"They dispose of you. Same as they do with the girls who aren't strong enough to endure the process of becoming an agent."

"What do you mean 'they dispose of you'?"

"Well, the facility and its location are for the most part a complete secret. If they let every girl that changed their mind go then they would have all kinds of people swarming the place. Human rights protestors, scientists wanting to steal their secrets and most of all a mass of people who want the production of their agents put to a stop because they think we're a danger to society."

"But you're telling me about the facility and where it is."

"That's different," Cassia sighs, "It's almost unheard of that anyone who makes it out of the facility has any family to come back to. It's the reason they use orphans; they're easier to emotionally detach so they won't form a bond close enough for them to share their secrets and they have no bonds to fall back on from their past."

"That's awful," Kai says.

"That's only the start of it," Cassia murmurs.

Kai shifts uncomfortably. The knowledge that he can't even begin to imagine what his sister has been through makes him feel uneasy.

"There's a lot of other questions I would like to ask you but to be honest I really don't think I could stomach it right now."

"That's ok. I don't plan on leaving anytime soon so there'll be plenty of time for both of us to fill in missing details," Cassia says.

Kai manages to smile slightly at her response, "I'm really glad you're home, Cas."

"And I'm glad to be home," she replies, looking up at him, "You look tired, we should go to sleep."

"Yeah," Kai says, standing up and stretching his arms.

Following Kai out of the room, Cassia realises just how much her little brother has grown. He is now head and shoulders above her. They ascend the staircase and turn right at the top where the doors to their rooms stand opposite each other. Before walking into his own room, Kai turns to Cassia.

"See you in the morning."

Without a word, Cassia smiles at him and disappears into her old room.


	4. Chapter 4

In the morning, Kai wakes up early as usual and stares up at his ceiling. He wonders if everything that happened last night was just a dream. It's certainly a lot to take in; his sister has been confined against her will for over a decade and has now come home as literally half the human she used to be. That is, of course, if it wasn't a dream. There was only one way to find out.

Flipping back the covers, Kai gets out of bed, pulls on a pair of jogging bottoms over his boxers and walks out of his bedroom. He is now face to face with his sister's bedroom door. Raising his fist hesitantly, he knocks on it lightly.

"Come in," a soft voice calls.

Opening the door slowly, Kai steps into the dimly lit room and finds Cassia sitting cross-legged on the bed with her back leaning against the head board, still wearing her grey uniform. The sheets are still neatly tucked into the sides of the mattress, completely untouched.

"Did you get any sleep?" Kai asks.

"Not really. I dosed for a couple of hours but it feels so strange being back in this room... It looks just how I remember it," she replies.

"No one really came in here after you left. It didn't feel right to move anything," he sighs, "I thought last night was all a dream when I woke up just now. I had to come and check you were real and not just in my head."

"It's ok, I'm real," Cassia smiles.

Kai smiles in return, "You know, it might have helped you sleep if you had actually gotten into the bed and not just sat on top."

"It might sound strange but I didn't feel comfortable lying down."

"I was just kidding. It is a little strange but I'm not exactly going to force you to lie in bed."

"Do you have any food?" Cassia asks, "I'm really hungry."

"Sure," Kai replies, "Do you want me to go and get you something or do you want to come downstairs?"

"I'll come downstairs," Cassia says, getting off the bed.

Following her brother, Cassia walks down the stairs and turns left through a doorway into the dining room where a large, varnished, dark wood table sits in the centre of the room surrounded by matching chairs that have luxurious velvet cushions on the seats.

"Good morning, Master Kai and Mistress Cassia. Would you both like some breakfast?" Viktor greets them both.

"Yes please. I'll have my usual," Kai answers.

"What about you, Mistress Cassia?"

"Um, I'll just have some porridge please," she replies.

Taking seats opposite each other, Cassia and Kai sit in comfortable silence while they wait for their breakfast. Ten minutes later, Viktor walks back into the room carrying a tray. He places a bowl of steaming porridge and a spoon down in front of Cassia and a plate of toast in front of Kai and then leaves the room again.

Picking up the spoon, Cassia carefully scoops up some porridge and blows on it to cool it down a little. Kai wastes no time and happily munches on his buttered toast; a warm breakfast is generally what kick-started his mornings.

By the time Kai has finished his 3 slices of toast, Cassia has only had a few mouthfuls of porridge but much to his surprise, she puts the spoon into the bowl and pushes it away from her.

"Is there something wrong with your food?" he asks.

"No, not at all, I'm just full," she says, looking awkward.

"What? You're full up after four mouthfuls? That's ridiculous. You said you were hungry," he says.

"For an average female of my stature it would be ridiculous, yes. But I'm not exactly average," she states bluntly.

"So it's another characteristic trait then? Not eating?"

"I wouldn't call it 'not eating' but I just don't need as much food as a normal human being. We're trained for survival so our metabolism is especially slow in case there's a lack of food and the same goes for water. Plus, we need a fair amount of energy in order to digest the food we eat which can make us sluggish and that's not convenient if there's a need to go into battle."

"But doesn't most of your energy and strength come from your 'other side'?"

"Yes, that's true but regardless of it being a completely separate mentality, it's still all part of the same being which means it can still affect my physical performance."

"Oh. Okay," Kai says, looking at Cassia thoughtfully before hesitantly speaking again, "What else about you is different from the average person?"

"I can go without sleep for up to a week; I'm stronger, faster and more durable than any human being; I can regenerate wounds that most humans would die from; I can evaluate situations a lot more calmly because my emotional responses have been conditioned; I can sense the presence of a Yoma that's within a certain radius as well as sensing other warriors; I'm immune to most weather conditions; I'm defined by an emblem and a rank number as opposed to a name and qualifications and I don't age as quickly," she answers.

Kai stares at her with a look of utter disbelief, "Are you serious? You can sense Yoma? What if they're concealing their identity among people?"

Cassia nods, "The Yoma can sense each other's presence which prevents them from accidently attacking another Yoma that's in hiding within the same territory. And since I'm half-Yoma, I'm also able to sense their presence. It's not as strong as their ability at first, but we're taught how to enhance it so that we can pinpoint the exact location of a hidden Yoma in a crowd."

"So it's true," Kai utters quietly, "Claymore's really are half-Yoma."

Cassia looks up at Kai, glaring slightly, "I would prefer it if you didn't refer to me as a Claymore."

"Sorry," Kai says quickly.

"It's okay. I know it's what people of the general public know us as but it's not an official term for our kind and we never refer to ourselves as such. Being called a 'silver-eyed witch' isn't appreciated either."

"What's the proper name for someone who is half-human half-Yoma then?" Kai asks.

"There isn't one. I guess we're just genetically enhanced warriors," Cassia replies.

"Well, I don't care what you are. To me, you're still my sister no matter what and nothing is going to change that," Kai tells her.

"I'm glad you feel that way," Cassia smiles, "It makes things a lot easier. Now that Mum isn't around, as my little brother you are solely my number one concern. Don't be hesitant with any questions either as I assure you there is still many answers I wish to hear myself."

"What do you want to know?"

"Where Father and Grandfather are. Their absence hasn't given me much comfort as of yet."

"Well, Father left about seven years ago. It was around the same time that Mum became ill. He just left without a word to anyone except Grandfather and he wouldn't tell me where Father had gone. I found out shortly after Mum died that he had run off with some other woman and started a new family. I still don't know where he is but if I'm honest, I don't really care. As for Grandfather, he was found to be behind a dreadful organisation that turned kids into brainwashed, merciless beybladers and disappeared before he could be arrested. I haven't seen or heard from him since."

"What about his military supply company?"

"Management was handed over to someone who wasn't an insane dictator and I gave up all the profit from it since a pretty hefty bank account was left in my name. I think Grandfather expected me to turn out just as heartless as he is and follow in his footsteps to try and take control of the world. I may be cold at times, but I'm not heartless. I'm also not insane."

"Kai, I'm so sorry you had to go through all that on your own," Cassia says, "I should have been here for you."

"It's not your fault," Kai responds, "Besides; I wasn't entirely on my own. I have made some pretty awesome friends over the years. They've stuck by me even when I've been horrible to them."

"That's slightly reassuring I guess. Where did you meet these friends of yours?" Cassia asks.

"I met them all during my beyblading competitions. A few of them have been my team mates but most of them have been my opponents. Some of them have been both," Kai replies.

"So you followed your dream of becoming a serious beyblader. That's good. How did you do in these competitions?"

"I've won pretty much all of my matches. I'm actually one of the top ranked beybladers in the world now," Kai brags playfully.

"Wow, that's brilliant," Cassia beams, "I would have loved to see you compete. I'm so proud of you, Kai."

"Well, Viktor recorded all of my matches from when they were broadcasted on television and got them all burned onto discs so that I can 'show my grandchildren how great I was' so maybe we could sit and watch them some time."

"I would really like that."

Suddenly, there is a loud knock on the door.


	5. Chapter 5

Viktor appears in the doorway.

"There is someone here for you, Mistress Cassia," he says.

Cassia pushes her chair back and stands up. She makes her way out of the dining room and into the foyer. The front door has been left ajar and a man dressed in black is standing just within. His face is hidden in shadow by a wide brimmed hat.

"You're here to see me?" Cassia asks.

"Ah, yes. Number One-hundred and sixty, I am here to bring you your first assignment," the man replies.

"Very well, please continue."

"There have been reports of several incidents related to attacks of a nature that only a Yoma would be capable of. They are centred on one small area of the city and have occurred several days apart so the chances of it being more than one are extremely low. I trust that you will be able to deal with this situation as soon as possible?" the man says, handing Cassia a sheet of paper, "Please burn this once your mission is complete."

"As you wish," Cassia says.

"Oh and one more thing; this is for you. I'm sure that I don't need to explain to you what it is," he hands her a black piece of card before leaving the house and disappearing down the driveway.

"Who was that?" Kai asks, walking into the foyer. Cassia hastily stuffs the black card down her top in order to hide it.

"He is a representative from the Organization; one of the people that informs the warriors about their missions."

"So you've got to go on a mission now?"

"Yes. Don't worry; I'll be back in a few days at most. I just need to find a Yoma and kill it before it can attack any more people."

"Can I come with you?"

"No. It would be extremely unwise for you to accompany me on my mission. Although I am more than capable of locating and killing a single Yoma, and strong enough to handle even two of them, it would endanger your life if it realised you were travelling with me," Cassia tells him.

"So I would only get in the way?" he says glumly.

"I don't want to be responsible for putting your life in any unnecessary danger. Please try to understand," she sighs, "Think of it as if we were in a beyblading team together. Would you let me face an opponent you knew was vicious and guaranteed to hurt me, or would you make sure that you dealt with them on your own so there was no risk that I would be harmed in the process?"

Kai thinks for a moment. She's right; he wouldn't ever let her go up against some of the bladers he knew. Even the ones he was friendly with. If Bryan or Garland challenged her to a match, he wouldn't allow it to happen. Bryan had once attacked Rei so viciously it had left him in intensive care at the hospital and Garland had gone so far as to leave Tala in a coma for three months after battling him.

"I wouldn't allow you to even set up your blade," he mutters.

"Exactly what I thought you'd say. That's how I feel about this situation. You don't know the first thing about defending yourself against these monsters and I've been trained for years in order to get to the point where I can face them on my own in uncontrolled conditions. So please, just stay at home," Cassia pleads.

"Okay, fine. But I want you to take my cell phone so that once the mission is over you can call the home phone and let me know that you're safe," he demands.

"I can deal with that I suppose," she agrees.

Half an hour later, Cassia is standing downstairs, donning her brand new uniform and holding onto the tied up package given to her upon her arrival at the house.

"I never knew warriors were so fashion conscious," Kai teases.

"I think the pretty element of my armour is there to make us seem less daunting. I doubt it will fulfil its job in that department but that's not what's important. As long as it protects me from sustaining too much injury then it doesn't matter," Cassia says.

"How high are the changes of you getting hurt?" Kai asks, suddenly more concerned.

"If the information I've been given is correct and there is only one Yoma to deal with then I hope to complete my mission with no injuries. If worse comes to worst and there's two of them then the chances of me gaining an injury are higher but no worse for me to heal than a cut or scrape would be for you," Cassia assures him.

Though the worried expression on his face doesn't disappear, Kai nods. Cassia then turns her attention to the package in her hand. She unties the strings and unravels the cloth revealing a shiny, silver, broad, double-edged sword that bears her emblem in the centre of the blade just below the hilt.

"That's a big sword," Kai says in awe.

"It's a claymore sword," Cassia says, "It's the reason we're referred to as such."

"I've heard a lot of stories about how good Clay… I mean… Um, Yoma hunters are with their swords. You have to teach me how to use that thing," he pleads.

"Yoma hunter; I like that. It's better than being called a 'silver-eyed witch'," she smiles, "Okay, I might teach you a couple of moves but right now I have to leave. I'll be back soon.

"You have my cell phone, right?"

"Yes."

"Okay, remember to call me as soon as your mission is over."

"I will."

Cassia slides her sword into the right-hand gap at the back of her shoulder armour and opens the front door. With a single glance back at her little brother; she leaves the house.

After several hours of walking and occasionally pulling out the paper to make sure that she is heading the right direction, Cassia reaches the area assumed to be the Yoma's territory. So far, she has managed to avoid the judgemental eyes of the public by sticking to alleyways and less populated areas on route to her destination. But now, with any person possibly being a Yoma in hiding, she has no choice but to be out in the open.

"I need to find a way to move around freely without drawing too much attention to myself," she mutters to herself, "If the Yoma knows I'm here it might flee to a different area of the city before I can pinpoint it. At least if I find it first I can follow it."

Resorting to turning her cape inside out, showing the darker grey underside, making it less noticeable as part of a uniform and pulling the hood up, Cassia begins her hunt.

Luckily, the plan to be less conspicuous works. Barely anyone takes notice of Cassia's presence and the few people that do only give her odd looks; obviously just finding someone with their hood up when it's not raining or snowing rather strange.

Eventually she comes to a slightly busier, wider street that's lined with retail outlets, grocery stores and small market stalls selling handmade goods. At this time of day, the shop keepers are serving their last customers and beginning to pack up their produce ready to go home.

Suddenly, Cassia senses a faint Yoki aura.

"It's here. It's within range," Cassia utters, "I'll have to move quickly. If I can sense it then it's very likely that it can also sense me."

Cassia continues walking down the street, following the Yoki aura until she comes to a stop a few metres away from a market stall selling cheeses. Only three men stand before her, one behind a counter, another packing away goods and the last is a customer.

"It's him for sure but he's too close to the other two. I need to draw him away so there's no chance of them getting hurt," Cassia thinks, "I have no choice, I'll have to reveal myself. "

With one swift movement, Cassia pulls back her hood and draws her sword. The three men turn to look at her but only two look truly terrified.

"It's a Claymore!" the customer shrieks, taking several steps backwards.

A low growl emits from the man standing behind the counter as his muscles start to bulge, ripping his shirt as his arms and torso begin to elongate. Realising its cover has been blown, the monster makes a break for it, knocking over the counter and heading in the direction of a side street.

Cassia takes off after it, leaving the two other men in a state of shock. Now the Yoma has separated itself, the job has become much easier. Eventually, Cassia manages to corner it in a dead end alleyway with walls that are too high for it to jump. By this time, the Yoma has fully transformed into its natural state. Golden, cat-like eyes glare at her; dark brownish-purple skin stretches across its disproportioned frame of muscular limbs and lean body with a protruding spine and a broad mouth filled with razor-sharp teeth.

"It's over. You have nowhere left to run. Your fate is sealed," Cassia says.

"Well, aren't you a conceited little witch. I know how fast Claymores are but considering the last one finally got what she deserved I hoped that your low rank would give me an advantage," the Yoma snarls, "Then again, just because you can keep up with my running pace doesn't mean you're strong enough to kill me!"

With this last sentence, the Yoma launches itself towards Cassia, reaching out a clawed hand targeted towards her abdomen. Before it can strike, she makes an accelerated movement, pulling out her sword and swinging it in a curved, downward motion severing the Yoma's arm. It yells in pain and Cassia takes the opportunity of its momentary shock to streak past it, driving her sword across its midriff as she does this. Purple blood spurts out from the exposed entrails of the Yoma's detached lower half.

Cassia looks down at her sword and jerks her arm sideways to expel the blood dripping from it and then slides it back into place.

"That'll teach you to call me damn witch."


	6. Chapter 6

On the walk home Cassia once again keeps away from main streets and crowded areas mostly because now, either way she wears her cape, it will attract attention; one side is splattered with Yoma blood and the other side being part of her recognisable uniform.

As she walks, she reaches into one of the many pockets of her utility belt and pulls out Kai's cell phone. After dialling the home phone number, she places it to her ear. It rings a couple of times before anyone picks up.

"Hello?" Kai's voice speaks on the other end of the line.

"Hello," Cassia replies, "I'm making my way back."

"You're done already?" he asks, sounding surprised.

"Yes. There was only one," she answers.

"Are you hurt at all?"

"No. It wasn't very strong."

"Ah, good," Kai breathes a sigh of relief, "Will you want dinner when you get home?"

"No, thank you. I'm not hungry," Cassia says, "But I could probably do with a bath."

"Yoma blood not your colour?" Kai laughs, "How long will you be, I'll run the water for you so it will be ready when you get back."

"It's more that Yoma scent isn't my favourite perfume," Cassia smiles, "I'll be back in a couple of hours."

"Okay, see you soon."

"See you soon."

Cassia ends the call and slips the cell phone back into her pocket.

Although she is doing her best to try and avoid being seen, more for her own sake than for anyone else's, Cassia is unable to become invisible. This results in her crossing paths with a few people on their way home from work or taking out rubbish bags. Most just move to the other side of the street; some who are standing outside their own front doors rush inside leaving dustbin lids askew and half-smoked cigarettes on the pavement; some just stare, cursing her existence under their breath. Apart from this, no one pays much attention to her. That is until she comes to a road a few blocks outside of the edge of the city where the suburbs begin.

The road is almost completely deserted with only a few cars parked outside neat rows of terraced housing. The only people present are two young men who look to be in their late teens, dressed in tracksuit bottoms and puffer jackets and one of them wearing a baseball cap. It rapidly becomes evident that these boys don't live here as they are busy trying to break into a red car with a large screwdriver and a broken radio antenna. Cassia decides to avoid being noticed and take a different route home. Unfortunately, as she turns to cross the road, the tip of her sword clashes with a lamppost, making a loud clang that echoes down the otherwise quiet street and causing the two boys to turn around.

"Son of a bitch," Cassia thinks, cringing at her own clumsiness and looking up to see if they will choose ignore her and continue with their misconduct.

No such luck. One of the boys, the one attempting to open the car door, walks slowly towards her.

"What do you think you're looking at?" he says, coming to a stop about two metres away from her.

Cassia doesn't answer him.

"Are you deaf, bitch? I said what are you looking at?"

Cassia continues to stare at him, trying to figure out whether or not he recognises who he's speaking to. She is sure that if he knew, he wouldn't be insulting her so freely.

The boy wearing the baseball cap who was previously keeping watch for any police takes a few steps forward before coming to an abrupt stop, his eyes widen.

"Man, just leave it. That's not something you want to mess with, it's a Claymore," he warns.

"A Claymore?" the first boy scoffs, "You looking for a fight then, freak?"

He takes another few steps forward but makes it no further as the second boy rushes to grab his arm. But as he does, it turns out to be one step too close and Cassia is hit with a wave of Yoki. Her cold, silver eyes turn brilliant gold; the round pupils become narrow slits and pulling her sword out she rushes at the two boys. Within seconds she is standing behind them, purple blood running down the front-facing side of her blade and the boy is sprawled across the floor with a gash running from is left shoulder down across his torso leaving him in two parts. Though, he doesn't look like a boy anymore, but a brown-skinned demon wearing a baseball cap.

The first boy looks at what down at what used to be his friend; his partner in crime. His face is horror-struck, eyes unblinking and mouth gaping open but too shocked to make a sound. Then, with one last look at Cassia, he runs.

Sighing, Cassia wipes the blood from her blade with her already stained cape. That boy has no idea how lucky he is. If she had walked away without drawing any attention to herself, he would have driven off in a stolen car with what he thought was his friend and ended up being left in the backseat in some alleyway with his organs splattered everywhere and most of his intestines devoured.

By the time Cassia gets back to the mansion, it's almost six o'clock, an hour after she thought that she would be home. The door opens before she is even up the stone steps and Kai is standing before her.

"Where the hell have you been? I expected you to be home ages ago! I was starting to think something bad had happened to you!" he cries angrily.

"I ran into a bit of trouble on my way home. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to worry you," she replies.

"What do you mean by trouble?"

"I came across another Yoma."

"What, another one?" Kai gasps, "How many of them are there in the city?"

"I don't know for sure. The ones I know about are Yoma I'm assigned to kill and the occasional one I happen to find along the way," Cassia answers, "If you were panicking so much, why didn't you call me on your cell phone?"

Kai raises his hand and rubs the back of his neck, an awkward look on his face, "Well, your assignment was given to you on short notice so I didn't really get time to charge it so when I tried to call you, it was dead."

Cassia rolls her eyes at him, "I should be grateful you didn't send out a search party."

"I wouldn't have had a clue where to start looking," he says, "Your bath went cold so I drained the water. Do you want me to run you another one?"

Cassia smiles, "That would be great, thanks."

They both enter the house and Viktor appears in the doorway of the dining room as Kai is locking the door. His glasses perch on the bridge of his nose and he's holding a polishing cloth. His mouth drops open as his eyes fall on Cassia.

"Oh my goodness, Mistress Cassia!" he exclaims, abandoning the cloth.

"Viktor… I can explain," Cassia says. With his glasses on, there is no way Viktor will mistake her uniform. He marches up to her.

"I don't know how on Earth I'm going to get rid of these blood stains!" Viktor rants, taking her cape from her and examining it closely.

"What?" she asks, her eyebrows rise in surprise.

"I can't begin to and don't even want to consider how many times I'm going to have to put this through the wash," he declares, walking in the direction of the kitchen, next door to the dining room, leaving Cassia baffled.

Kai laughs, "I wish I had a camera right now. If you could see your face…."

"What just happened?" she utters.

"Well, when that guy showed up asking to see you I think it sparked his curiosity because after you left he started asking questions. I figured that he would eventually find out the truth, one way or another, so I just filled him in on the necessary details," he explains.

"And it didn't bother him?"

"He was shocked, for sure. It's quite a bombshell to drop on someone, I can guarantee that, but I think the intensified anger he feels for Father and Grandfather now surpasses any concerns about living with a superhuman."

"He always was a little bit wacky."

"Yeah, I guess we've all got our quirks. Anyway, I'll go and run you that bath so the rest of your uniform can be washed and you can relax. How hot do you want it?"

"I would like it to a degree where even Dranzer would hesitate to get in."

Kai raises an eyebrow at his sister.

"What?" Cassia asks.

"It's nothing," Kai replies, shaking his head in bewilderment.

The two of them make their way up the stairs and head straight into the bathroom. Cassia sits on the edge of the bath whilst Kai takes care of the taps. Once the water begins to run hot, he closes the plughole and takes a seat next to Cassia. She stares at the ceiling vacantly as they sit in comfortable silence.

"It's your birthday soon," she says finally, "We're nearing the start of August."

"Yeah, it is," Kai responds, "You remembered."

"Of course I remembered. Becoming what I am didn't erase my past," Cassia exhales before continuing, "I actually found a friend during my time at the facility and we found solace in talking to each other about our former lives. You came up a lot in those conversations."

Kai looks up at her, "I thought you were taught not to form bonds with other people."

"This occurred in the early stages of our training. Neither of us had gone through the procedure of becoming half-Yoma yet and subsequently we became something akin to sisters; we went through every painful experience together. I think she eventually learnt when mums and your birthdays were because it was the only time when I was solely upset," she laments.

"What's her name?"

"Natasha. You might get to meet her someday."

By this time, the bath is nearly full. Kai shuts off the water and makes his departure from the bathroom. Before he is completely out of sight, Cassia calls after him.

"You know, we'll have to do something nice for your birthday since it's the first one I've been present for in twelve years."

Kai smiles and shuts the door behind him.


	7. Chapter 7

The next morning, Kai and Cassia are sitting opposite each other at the dining table again. Kai is eating his usual breakfast but the space in front of Cassia is bare. She watches Kai curiously.

"Why are you staring at me?" he asks, noticing her glistening eyes focused on him.

"It's enthralling seeing you eat that amount of food and knowing that it's going to do nothing but increase your energy levels," she replies.

"You think what I'm eating is a lot?"

"To me it seems like a large quantity, yes."

"Wait until you meet my friend Tyson. I reckon you'll be truly horrified by his appetite; he makes me look like an anorexic," Kai laughs.

"You're kidding," Cassia says, a look of disgust crossing her face.

"No, I'm not."

"In that case, I hope I never meet him."

"Um, actually, you might be meeting him pretty soon," Kai says, "Well, that's if he says yes in response to the party invite."

"Party invite?" Cassia asks.

"For my birthday," Kai replies.

"Did I miss something? You never mentioned anything about a party last night," she says.

"I've been toying with the idea but I didn't decide to go through with it until after we spoke. I thought about what you said; that we should do something nice this year so I figured it would be pretty cool to have all my friends come and stay here for a while. It's been ages since we all got together and I'd really like you to meet them all," he says.

Cassia bites the inside of her cheek; her eyes no longer focus on Kai but stare thoughtfully at space in front of her. She takes a moment to think before responding, "It would be lovely to meet your friends but do you think it's a wise idea me being there?"

"Honestly? I reckon it might unnerve a few of them but there's plenty of bizarre and dreadful things that some of them have done that might shock you more than Tyson's eating habits," Kai states bluntly.

"Like what?" Cassia challenges him, feeling sceptical about how legitimate the claims of his friend's actions are.

"Well, before my old team became friends with a group of beybladers who called themselves BEGA, their top player turned into a bit of a maniac after losing his match against me and half way through his battle with Tyson, he somehow transported the entire stadium into an obscure dimension," Kai responds.

"Okay, that really is messed up," Cassia affirms, accepting his previous statement as being accurate.

"I'm not going to force you to show up but can you at least think about it?" he asks.

"I'll consider it," she agrees.

"Thank you."

XXXXXXXXXX

Less than a week goes by before everyone that Kai emailed has replied to his party invitations saying whether or not they will be attending. A few of them complain about the tardiness of his invite and having to book their flight tickets on such short notice but most of them say yes and the people that turn down the invitations have good reasons for doing so. By the end of the week, the only person who hasn't decided whether or not to show up is Cassia.

Feeling guilty that most of his friends will have spent extra money on buying plane tickets to Russia, he emails them again letting them know that he has enough spare rooms for all of them to stay in so they needn't bother with booking hotel rooms. Aware that due to late bookings, some of them will only manage to get one way tickets, he includes a footnote saying they can stay as long as they need to.

Now that the date and number of guests has been confirmed, all that's left to do is to get the house ready for the upcoming event. Kai and Viktor spend their entire Sunday morning writing lists of essential party elements; food; music; decorations, etc. Viktor, claiming to be the 'life of the party' in his youth, thinks up most of the ideas and puts them forward to Kai for the final decision.

In the end, it is decided that the party won't have a theme because, even if Kai wanted one, it would be too late to let everyone know about it. Barmen will be hired to serve drinks, including alcohol; regardless that a few of Kai's friends are underage, most of them have previous experience of alcohol consumption. As for music, Viktor suggests connecting a stereo to the speakers set up around the room being used for the party which was once used by Voltaire, Kai and Cassia's Grandfather, as a conference room and though the projector and screen made for displaying presentations to business associates was removed, the speakers still remain.

"Stereos are a bit outdated Viktor, but I could definitely hook my iPod dock up to it. All I have to do is find an extension lead," Kai smiles triumphantly.

"I have no idea what an iPod is but I trust you know what you're talking about so I'll leave you to deal with that one," Viktor chuckles, "Now, what about food?"

"Well, most people were more interested to know whether there's going to be alcohol but there was a couple who demanded good party food," Kai replies.

"I think I know who you're referring to," Viktor says, "By any chance would it be those two boys that were here for your birthday gathering last year who requested thirds at breakfast, lunch and dinner?"

"Yep, that would be Tyson and Daichi."

"There's always one. Unfortunately, in your case, it's two."

"For fear that they might start eating furniture; I think we better stock up."

"Remember, Master Kai, we still have to find appropriate decorations and organise the tables and chairs too."

"Oh crap, I forgot about that," Kai groans, rubbing his temples, "I shouldn't have left this until last minute. We'll never get it all done in time."

"I'm sure if you asked Mistress Cassia nicely, she'll be willing to help," Viktor suggests.

"That's a pretty good idea," Kai answers, "Where is she anyway?"

"Last time I checked, she was in the garden," he replies.

Leaving Viktor to determine what food would go down well with the guests, Kai goes in search of his sister.

He finds Cassia perched on a chair outside, settled in front of the patio heater. Her legs are crossed and her eyes are focused on the flames flickering within the furnace-like alcove. She looks up as Kai approaches.

"What are you doing?" he asks.

"Burning stuff," she replies.

"Why?"

"Because it's what I was ordered to do."

Kai acknowledges her bluntness and chooses not to ask further questions about it.

As the flames turn to smouldering remains, Cassia stands and pushes the chair back to its original position around the patio table.

"Is there something you wanted?" she questions.

"Oh, yeah, I was wondering whether you would mind giving Viktor and me a hand with preparations for the party," he says.

"Of course not," Cassia says, "What do you need me to do?"

"I was hoping I could convince you to go out and buy the party food for me so Viktor and I can start getting the house ready," Kai replies.

"I really don't know what's classed as party food."

"That's ok. I'll give you a list."

"In that case, I'll be happy to help you."

"Excellent!"

Kai provides Cassia with the list written by Viktor and she sets off. Not bothering to stick to less crowded areas, she takes a direct route into the city. Donning a clean uniform, weapons included, there is an abundance of people who point and stare as she passes shop windows but she pays them no heed.

When she arrives at the supermarket, she completes her errand swiftly to evade creating an upset, leaving only the young cashier looking like he'd seen a poltergeist. As she exits, she is met by a familiar face.

"That's a lot of food for someone with no appetite."

"It's for my brother's birthday party."

"You could pass as a human with this kind of activity, Cassia," the man smirks.

"I'll take that as a compliment coming from you, Dmitri. There's a reason why you're here," Cassia states, momentarily putting down her many shopping bags.

"Yes, I have been sent to inform you that you are to have an appointment with the Mayor. It is essential that you attend as he wishes to meet the warrior that he is paying for to keep Moscow safe from Yoma," Dmitri says.

"When is the meeting?" she asks.

"Four p.m. tomorrow."

"I'll be there."

"Good. I was also asked to give you this," he says, pulling a piece of paper out from the pocket of his black jacket and handing it to Cassia.

"Another assignment," Cassia replies.

"I know it would normally be administered to you by your appointed representative but since I'm here I thought it would make things easier. Anyway, though a fleeting visit, it's been nice to see you," Dmitri turns to walk away but stops, "Oh, forgive me, I have one more thing for you; a gift of sorts."

He throws her a sealed envelope, gives a slight wave and disappears down the street. Cassia holds her assignment paper between her teeth as she opens the envelope. Inside she finds a wad of money and a hand-written note from Dmitri:

'A uniform is not a suitable party outfit. Buy yourself something pretty.'

Cassia shakes her head as she stuffs the envelope into a free pocket of her utility belt. Taking the paper out of her mouth, she reads through her new assignment; a single Yoma is stated to have killed several people in the same residency. Looking at the circled locations where the attacks have taken place she recognises the names of the surrounding streets from her earlier journey into the city.

"I guess there's no time like the present."


	8. Chapter 8

A scream reverberates down the empty streets.

Cassia walks slowly down a narrow alleyway separating two blocks of apartments, following the direction of the Yoki aura whilst making sure to supress her own. One hand is still holding onto the shopping bags and the other is firmly gripping the hilt of her sword.

Peering around the first corner she finds another empty passageway. Keeping as close as she can to the wall without creating any noise, she edges along the pavement, the Yoki becoming more and more prominent with each step. Coming to the second corner, Cassia looks round and spots the looming figure of a purple-skinned Yoma with its back facing her, clutching onto a silent victim. The young woman, who had yelled out, now hangs lifelessly from the demons clawed hands.

The Yoma growls lowly and turns its body. Cassia whips her head back round, hoping that she hasn't been spotted. This monster is far bigger than the last two and Cassia knows that she'll need the upper hand to succeed in slaying it.

"I know you're here. I can sense you."

"That's just great," Cassia thinks, "I was hoping the fresh kill would distract it long enough for me to get into a position where I would have the advantage. Looks like I'll have to face it head on."

"Come out, come out wherever you are. Or are you too scared?"

Cassia sighs and places the shopping bags beside her feet. Calmly, she steps out from behind the wall, her hand still resting on her sword handle. Swivelling round to face the demon, she scrunches her face up in disgust as the scent of blood and the stench of Yoma reaches her nose.

"Well hello there, Claymore," the Yoma smirks, its golden eyes gleaming in the shadow of the alley, "I suppose you're here to kill me?"

Cassia draws her sword, "You have terrorised this neighbourhood for long enough and I am here to put a cease to it."

The Yoma laughs loudly, "You think you, one measly little Claymore, can stop me? You can try but you will not be successful."

Cassia holds her sword out in front of her, "I beg to differ."

She rushes forwards with her blade directed at the Yoma's chest area. At the same time, the Yoma drops its victim and dodges her attack. Momentarily thrown by the demons speed, Cassia feels a sudden impact to her right side and goes rocketing into one of the walls sending a cloud of cement dust into the air and creating a dent in the brickwork.

"You'll have to be quicker than that," the Yoma taunts.

Cassia comes charging out of the murkiness and leaps into the air, raising her sword above her head with both hands, intent on bringing it down upon the demons skull. The Yoma lifts an arm and bends its elbow to angle a clawed hand at Cassia. Suddenly, its fingers project outwards like harpoons and spear Cassia mid-air; one through her upper left arm, one just below her right shoulder, two piercing her abdomen and one through her right thigh.

Cassia cries out in pain, her left hand letting go of her sword and her right arm hanging uselessly by her side still clutching the blade. The Yoma cackles menacingly.

"I must admit I'm actually a little disappointed in you, Claymore. I was hoping for a bit more of a fight. I knew you were weak but this is just pathetic."

Gritting her teeth, Cassia tightens her grip on the hilt of her sword. Her eyes make the transition from silver to gold and the muscles in her right arm begin to bulge. Before the Yoma can register her movements, Cassia swings her sword at an accelerated rate which slices clean through the skin and bone of the monsters fingers. She drops to the ground, landing neatly on her feet as purple blood gushes out from the remaining stubs of flesh.

Whilst the demon is wailing, Cassia removes the elongated fingers that are still boring through her body, straining to prevent her Yoki from exceeding its limit as they all immediately begin to heal themselves. The Yoma's whining stops after a short period of time and, now more perceptive of its abilities, Cassia dives sideways to avoid its next assault.

"You'll pay for that, witch!" the Yoma roars, launching another attack.

This time Cassia jumps to evade the demons projectile fingers but receives a blow to the chest from the Yoma's maimed fist which sends her hurtling into the pavement with such force that the stone slabs crack beneath her.

Her face screws up as the collision jars her frame. Groaning in agony, she flips onto her stomach and pushes herself up onto her hands and knees coughing painfully as blood spatters onto the pavement.

"I need a different attack strategy," Cassia thinks, "I could charge aimlessly at this creature all day and it would only acquire minor injuries whilst I exhaust my energy supplies. But how can I even begin to outmanoeuvre such uncurbed strength and agility?"

Wiping the blood from her lips, Cassia stands.

"Why don't you just give up, Claymore? You know it's no use trying to defeat me. You're nowhere near strong enough," the Yoma says, "I'm surprised you even have an emblem with the lack of skill you're portraying."

Cassia growls in frustration. Her eyes begin to glow brighter bringing an orange tinge around the edges of her irises. The muscles in her arms and legs grow visibly bigger and veins appear like cracks around the edges of her face.

"You'll surpass your limit in no time if you carry on like this," the Yoma smirks.

Instead of rushing forwards, Cassia jumps into the air at an angle and ricochets off the wall to avoid another projectile assault. She glances off the opposite wall as the Yoma's clawed fingers bend and twist like snakes in an attempt to impale her and using her Yoki enhanced speed she slices through the body tissue and bone connecting the Yoma's unimpaired arm to its body.

"Try and stab me now, monster!" Cassia yells, landing on the ground behind the Yoma.

"You bitch!" the Yoma roars as it clutches onto the oozing wound with its mutilated hand.

"I may be a bitch, but you're dead!" Cassia cries.

In a final motion Cassia vaults into the air and descends above the Yoma, driving her sword through its wrist as it raises the remaining arm to protect itself and bringing the blade down on its head with a heavy blow that rips through the entire body of the demon. A volcano of purple blood erupts from the severed carcass and the now lifeless form collapses onto the ground.

Breathing heavily from exertion, Cassia wipes the blood from her sword and secures it in place on her back. She leans against the wall to recover and bring herself back to normal before leaving the blood-covered alleyway, picking up the shopping bags on the way.

XXXXXXXXXX

"I should have given her my cell phone again," Kai frets, pacing up and down the sitting room impatiently, "It's been hours. Where the hell is she?"

"I'm sure she's fine, Master Kai," Viktor says, "She's a big girl and she's more than capable of looking after herself. Now please, just calm down."

"I can't calm down, Viktor. She's my sister and I'm entitled to worry about her," Kai snaps.

Viktor sighs. The truth is that he is also beginning to worry about Cassias whereabouts.

All of a sudden, there's a knock on the front door.

Kai sprints to the door and flings it open to find Cassia standing before him, splattered with purple blood with blotches of red around holes torn in her dust-covered uniform.

"Oh my God," Kai gasps, "I send you to get one lot of shopping and it takes you over three hours and you come back looking like this?! I swear I'm going to age prematurely and it'll be your fault! Do you have any idea how worried I was? I don't care how much training and experience you've had fighting Yoma, you're not invincible no matter how skilled you are; the last warrior got herself killed trying to bite off more than she could chew and it's pretty obvious that you had issues with this group of demons so can you maybe just try not to get into trouble every time you leave the house?!"

"Actually, it was just one Yoma, it was just a lot bigger and stronger than I expected," Cassia replies.

"Oh for crying out loud," Kai sighs, rubbing his forehead with his fingers.

"I'm sorry, Kai. I know you worry and I appreciate your concern but you must remember that I don't purposely go looking for trouble. This is my job and I can't change that," Cassia says.

"I know. I know. I guess… I just… I need to adjust to it. Though, I highly doubt I'll stop worrying."

"That's understandable. I would probably feel the same if it were you in my place."

Kai exhales loudly, "Anyway, you better come in. You know Viktor's going to kill you when he sees the state you're in. He only just managed to get the blood stains out of your other clothes."

"Perhaps I should fear him more than any Yoma."

The corners of Kais mouth form a slight smile as he turns and walks back into the house with Cassia following closely behind. Viktor is waiting in the foyer with a black flannel dressing gown in his hands. He holds it out to Cassia.

"I overheard Master Kai's distress at the sight of you so I thought it best to bring you this so you can change out of your clothes now and I can make a start on getting them clean," he says.

"Thank you, Viktor," Cassia replies, "I'll be back in a minute."

She walks up the stairs leaving Kai, Viktor and the shopping bags. They both standing stock still with expressions of disbelief plastered across their faces.

When she finally disappears down the hallway to her bedroom, Kai speaks, "Did you see the red mixed in with the purple?"

"Yes, I did notice that," Viktor replies.

"Did you see any wounds on her at all?" he asks,

"Come to think of it, no, I didn't," Viktor answers.

"That's so weird. I mean, I know she can regenerate when she's wounded; she told me so but I didn't think it would ever be such a speedy recovery. I just assumed it would take at least week or so depending on the injury but whatever happened to her, there's literally no trace of it at all."

Cassia returns to the foyer carrying her blood-soaked uniform.

"I don't think there's really much point in washing this," she says.

"You don't?" Viktor asks.

In response to his question, Cassia holds up her uniform to show that most of the holes that were in the front of her uniform also go straight through to the back.

"Ah, I see what you mean."


	9. Chapter 9

"Where are you going, Cas?" Kai asks, folding his arms as he leans against the living room doorframe.

"Out," Cassia answers, not looking up as she buckles her boots.

"I gathered that much. I meant, where exactly are you going?"

"I have a meeting with the Mayor of Moscow. He wishes to speak with me"

"Oh, why's that?"

"Moscow is my territory. It's the area that I was assigned to protect but my services to the city do not come for free. It is the authority, in this case the Mayor, that pays for me to carry out my missions and put a stop to any carnage that occurs within the city's boundaries."

"So… he wants to make a friend out of you or something?"

"I highly doubt that," Cassia scoffs, "It's more like he's making sure that he's getting his money's worth."

"You're a superhuman capable of slaying flesh-eating demons. What more could he ask for?" Kai laughs.

"I don't think he'll be expecting anything more than that from me," she says, "In fact, it's probably a case of making sure of that."

"What do you mean?" he asks.

"There are warriors who have been known to be lazy or arrogant; some leaving assignments for weeks on end and others starting unnecessary fights with citizens or other warriors. Government bodies don't want to be paying for a nuisance that's more trouble than they are worth," Cassia replies.

"I can understand that. Though, it's pretty obvious that you're far from being a loose cannon so there shouldn't be a problem," Kai says.

"I sure hope not," Cassia sighs, standing up.

"How long will you be?"

"I don't know. I'll try to make it as swift of a visit as possible; for both of our sakes. I don't enjoy being in any environment where I feel even vaguely boxed in and what I enjoy even less is when that environment is awash with security personnel that aren't exactly going to rejoice in my presence. On top of that... we have a party to prepare for."

Kai smiles at Cassia.

XXXXXXXXXX

Its 3:50p.m when Cassia arrives at the City Hall. She ascends the stone steps, passing two security guards positioned outside the doorway. They are dressed in light blue button-up shirts tucked into navy blue trousers held up by a black belt. Each of them is accessorized with navy blue shoulder tabs, red ties, black leather shoes and gun holsters clipped onto their belts holding loaded revolvers.

Neither guard appears surprised at her presence but Cassia feels the tension in their muscles as she passes them and eventually hears their quiet but still audible sighs of relief as she reaches what they obviously consider a safe distance from them.

Walking through a second set of doors, Cassia enters the foyer of the City Hall. A grand expanse of white stone pillars and polished floors with hallways filled with the echo of footsteps from numerous people making their way to one place or another.

"Excuse me, um, Miss?" a voice from Cassia's right-hand side speaks.

Cassia turns her head towards the person responsible for addressing her so hesitantly. A tall, dark haired man dressed in the same uniform as the guards stationed at the front door approaches her.

"Yes?" she replies.

"I'm going to have to ask you to remove any weapons that you may be carrying on your person as we have a strict policy against armaments being brought into the building. They shall be returned to you once your business here is complete."

"Sure," Cassia bends down and pulls out the two daggers from the compartments on the sides of her boots and hands them over to the guard, "There you go."

"And the sword, if you please?" the guard points at the hilt of Cassia's blade.

"I don't think so," she says bluntly.

"But… Miss… I can't allow you to…" the guard stutters.

"Listen up!" Cassia interrupts, stepping towards him, "I am here at the request of the Mayor because he wants to be sure of my competence when it comes to doing my job. Do you really believe that if I was doing my job properly I would allow someone to take my sword when a Yoma could attack at any moment?"

The guard cowers slightly before Cassia, who is as tall as he is, unable to do anything but stare at her with wide-eyed horror.

"The answer to that is no," Cassia speaks again, "Can I go now, please? I don't want to be late."

The guard nods vigorously, his expression begging for her to move away from his personal space. Cassia turns on her heels and walks away from him.

"I'll be back for my daggers."

On the short journey up to the Mayor's office on the top floor of the building, Cassia receives similar alarmed and frightened reactions from various people she encounters; a few people get out of the lift a few floors before their true destination, others veer off into rooms they obviously weren't originally planning to enter and some completely change the direction in which they are walking down the hallway.

After many twists and turns in the maze of corridors, Cassia reaches the doors of the Mayor's office. Three figures are standing outside, two of which are guards and the third is a middle-aged man wearing a black suit with a blue shirt buttoned up to the collar and a matching tie. His hair forms a perfect ring around his head with a bald patch in the centre. He is holding a clipboard to his chest and looking at a silver wrist watch. From the corner of his eye he catches sight of Cassia.

"Ah, you're here. Good to see you made it on time," he says, looking at his watch again, "Just."

Cassia senses his distaste at the mere sight of her but holds her tongue. This was no time to make enemies.

"I'm here to speak with the Mayor," Cassia says.

"I'm well aware of that," the man replies, "I happen to be the Mayor's personal assistant. Follow me."

He turns towards the double doors at which the two guards are standing either side of and knocks. The door is opened by a tall, bulky man dressed in a jet black suit and tie with a white shirt.

"The Claymore is here."

The man nods and stands aside. As he does this, the distinct smell of Yoma infiltrates Cassias nostrils. For a moment, she hesitates.

"That's so strange," she thinks, "There's no mistaking it; that's definitely the smell of a monster but there's no aura. I don't sense anything."

"Ahem," the personal assistant deliberately and loudly clears his throat, snapping Cassia back into the present, "If you don't mind, the Mayor has a very tight schedule, so I would rather you not waste time."

She follows him into the Mayor's office; a room lined with filing cabinets and display cases. Some of the cases are filled with leather-bound books whilst others hold barely anything but a few photographs of the same white-haired gentleman shaking the hands of several different people.

At the head of the room is the focal point of the entire office; a large wooden desk awash with copious amounts of stacked up paperwork, a laptop nestled between the piles and a custom nameplate that reads ' '. Behind the desk sits an older gentleman, the same man shown in all of the photographs. His white hair is combed neatly and not a single crease is out of place on his expensive-looking suit.

Cassia walks up to the desk as the personal assistant walks around and stands dutifully beside the Mayor's chair.

"So, you must be Cassia," he says, looking up at her through a pair of eyeglasses.

"Yes, I am the replacement for your former operative," she replies.

The Mayor nods his head, "I understand that Moscow was originally your hometown and you still have family here? I'm hoping that you will use this to drive you to work hard and keep the number of Yoma in the city to a minimal."

"I plan to work to the best of my abilities regardless of my situation, Sir."

"Good. I hear you've already eliminated several threats in the city already."

"That is correct."

"Sorry to interrupt, Sir, but it was actually only two," the personal assistant pipes up.

"Whilst I appreciate your input, Yakov, Artemiy has informed me that Cassia has in fact slain three Yoma within our city's boundaries. One of them only appeared by chance and wasn't an assignment but nonetheless, it still counts," the Mayor says.

The smug look on Yakov's face quickly disappears and becomes a somewhat contemptuous but diminished expression as he turns his head away.

"Forgive me, but who is Artemiy?" Cassia asks.

"Artemiy is your representative. I take it he hasn't properly introduced himself yet but don't worry, I'm sure you'll become accustomed to each other in time," the Mayor pauses, looking at Cassia with a slightly entertained look on his face, "On a different note, I see that you managed to get past security with your sword. Your predecessor also achieved in avoiding our policy against armaments; she used to come in through the window. Mind telling me how you accomplished this?"

"I stated the obvious, Sir."

"And what was that?"

"I informed them that if I was to allow my sword to be taken from me and a Yoma was in the immediate vicinity it would be nearly impossible for me to successfully defeat the monster without at least one casualty. I'm sure he figured out that since you're the one that pays for the Organizations services, if you were to die then there would no longer be a reason for anymore assignments to be given to me until a new authority was chosen, leaving the city open to infestation."

The Mayor's eyebrows are raised in pleasant surprise, "Well, you certainly know how to get your point across. I think I've heard enough for now. You may go."

Cassia turns to leave the room, but stops, "I have a question for you; is there an employee of yours that hasn't come into work today?"

"Yes, two of them. Why?"

"Who are they?"

"One of them is my second personal guard and the other is the young lady who brings coffee round," the Mayor replies.

"Okay, thank you," Cassia says.

Mayor Guzev watches Cassia walk out of the door.

"There's definitely something different about her," he says, "I can't quite put my finger on it though."

Yakov snorts in response, "I can. She's got a different haircut to the last girl. Apart from that she's just another savage monstrosity without any real purpose in life but to be a killing machine."

The Mayor doesn't react to his personal assistants remarks but shakes his shakes his head and goes back to his paperwork.


	10. Chapter 10

Kai silently drinks his coffee, doodling on a notepad at the kitchen table and wondering how long it will be before his sister returns home. It has been over an hour since Cassia left the house and he hopes that she won't be much longer. Sighing, he puts down the pen and props his head up on his hand, resting his elbow on the table. As he takes another sip of his coffee, the loud clatter of metal hitting the floor resounds around the kitchen, startling him. As Kai gasps in surprise, he chokes on his drink causing him to burst into a coughing fit.

*COUGH COUGH HACK WHEEZE*

After clearing his lungs, he looks up to find Cassia standing in the middle of the room, staring at him with one blond eyebrow raised to a point where you can no longer see it under her straight fringe.

"Are you ok?" she asks.

"Apart from almost water-logging my lungs, yes, I'm fine," Kai clears his throat and frowns at Cassia, "Did you forget where the front door is?"

"No, I thought this would be less hassle than knocking," she replies.

"And you couldn't have used a different window?" he scowls.

"It was the only one that was unlocked and open."

"I need to get you your own house key,"

"I'm sorry if I frightened you."

"Frightened? You nearly gave me a heart attack!"

Kai sighs and grabs some kitchen roll to mop up the coffee he'd spat out. Cassia draws her sword and rests it against the kitchen counter then proceeds to unclip her shoulder armour and cape from her collar. It makes a clanking noise as she hangs it on the back of the nearest chair.

"Isn't that heavy?" Kai asks.

"Not really. It feels no different to how a leather jacket would on you," she says as she removes her utility belt and partial skirt.

"I learn something new every day with you around," Kai smiles, "However, that's very useful information to have."

"Why's that?" Cassia inquires, placing her belt and skirt on the table and taking a seat.

"It means you can do some of the heavy lifting tomorrow. We're going to start preparing the house for the party."

"Providing I don't have any assignments then I'm more than happy to help you."

"Awesome!"

XXXXXXXXXX

For the next two days, Kai, Viktor and Cassia spend most of their spare time getting the house ready for Kai's birthday party. Metallic blue and silver balloons are tied down at the edges of the white cloth-covered buffet tables and then placed neatly around the rest of the room; blue fairy lights are hung all around the walls, curling round the speakers and lining the door frames; white fairy lights are twisted around the short, white stone pillars supporting the low wall around the veranda and weave through the ivy that climbs up on either side of the double-doors; plastic chairs are stacked up around the edge of the room ready to be put out on the day of the party; the floor is vacuumed and the bar where the hired barmen will be making cocktails and serving drinks is set up.

Whilst Kai is preoccupied with attempting to find a place to put his iPod dock where it will be in no danger of having any drink spilt on it or being messed with, Cassia approaches Viktor who is busy polishing the bar.

"Viktor, I have a favour to ask of you."

"Go right ahead, Mistress Cassia," Viktor replies, ceasing his activity and looking up.

"I want to be here for Kai's birthday party but I don't have anything to wear. I was wondering if you would mind coming into town with me later today or tomorrow and help me find a suitable outfit."

"That sounds like a brilliant idea, Mistress Cassia. Master Kai will be over the moon. We shall leave early tomorrow morning and find you something appropriate."

"Thank you, Viktor," Cassia says, gratefully, "Oh, and please don't tell Kai just yet. I want it to be a surprise for him."

"Your secret is safe with me," he smiles.

"I think we're done!" Kai exclaims, lying down on the floor with his arms and legs spread out like a starfish, "Ah, that's better."

Cassia walks over to him and looks down, "You're seriously worn out?"

"We've been running around carrying heavy tables and stacks of chairs all day, of course I'm worn out," he says.

"Humans really do have issues with stamina," she smirks.

"Hey! That's not very nice! I'll have you know I used to train with weights in my scarf to keep my upper body strength… I just haven't done it in a while," Kai frowns and sits up, "If you want to talk about lack of stamina then you should see some of the people I've bladed against in the past. During my first championship as part of the Bladebreakers I took Tyson's place in a bey-battle against a kid called Mario and that lasted for about a minute if that."

"Some things never change; you're just as easy to aggravate as ever," Cassia replies, ruffling his messy slate-coloured hair.

He bats her hand away and lies back down on the floor, closing his eyes.

"That brings back some memories of when you two were younger. You were always teasing each other," Viktor chuckles, "It used to drive your mother up the wall."

Cassia reminisces for a moment, remembering how she used to take Kai's beyblade and run around the garden as he tried to catch her.

"_Cassia, give your brother back his beyblade, please," mum says, firmly but kindly._

"_But he didn't say please!" a young slate-haired Cassia says._

"_Give it back!" an even younger Kai yells._

_Cassia holds her arm up where Kai can't reach to grab it._

"_Say please!"_

"_No!"_

"_Say it or I won't give it back!"_

"_No!"_

"_Will you two pack it in? Cassia, just give Kai his beyblade, you have your own," Father shouts._

"_Fine," she sighs, handing Dranzer back._

"_Ha! You got told off!" Kai exclaims triumphantly._

"_You mind your manners Kai or I will be taking your beyblade instead," Father scowls._

_Cassia sticks her tongue out at her brother._

"Cas? Cassia? Are you alright?" Kai asks, looking up at her from his position on the floor.

"Yes, I'm fine, I was just thinking," she answers.

"About?"

"Um…"

Cassias sentence is interrupted by a knock on the front door.

"Surely that can't be the pizza I ordered," Kai says, sitting up again and looking confused, "I only ordered it about ten minutes ago and the gate intercom didn't buzz."

"I'll get it," Cassia volunteers, jumping at the chance to avoid answering Kai's question.

She opens the door and is met by a familiar man in black attire with a wide brimmed hat. He is holding onto a rolled up sheet of paper. He smiles at her in a way that seems to be more of a grimace and less than friendly.

"Hello, Cassia."

"Artemiy."

The corners of his mouth turn up slightly more at the sound of his name, "I have a new assignment for you, Number One-hundred and fifty two."

"Number One-hundred and fifty two? That's not my rank," Cassia says.

"Oh my, Dmitri must have failed to inform you of your… promotion, as it were. After your first assignment and additional killing the Organization decided to bring you up to Number One-hundred and fifty six and since then you've been moved up again; this time it was down to your professionalism during your meeting with the Mayor," Artemiy states.

"Oh, I see," she replies.

"You have a long way to go to prove yourself worthy of being within the top one-hundred but if you continue this productive behaviour then I have no doubt you'll keep moving up."

Artemiy hands the paper over to Cassia. She unrolls it and skims through her assignment.

"Well, this is a surprise," her eyebrows rising in slight disbelief, "You must have a fair amount of faith in me to allow this to be passed on."

"They are orders from our leader, not me; I am merely a messenger. Though, if I didn't know any better, I would say that our superiors are testing you," he suggests.

"Is that so?" Cassia asks.

"Perhaps," Artemiy responds, "I am unaware of the Organization's true intentions most of the time but what I am aware of is that you have plans for celebrating your brother's birthday soon. I would expect you not to let this hinder your work. After all, killing Yoma is what you are destined for."

"Don't worry, it won't affect my mission."

"Good. I shall leave it in your hands then. Do wish your brother a happy birthday for me."

Cassia says nothing more as she watches Artemiy walk away and then closes the front door.

"Well that was creepy as hell," Kai says.

Cassia laughs, looking around to where Kai is standing, leaning in the doorway of the party room with his arms folded across his chest.

"Unlike the warriors of the Organization who don't usually enjoy the unfriendly and fearful reactions they receive from people, the representatives pride themselves on their ability to make even the strongest of men shudder," she replies.

"They don't look that scary," Kai scoffs, "I meant that he was creepy in a stalker kind of way."

"That might be the case for you because you're vaguely aware of where he and I stand in relation to our jobs," Cassia explains, "What a non-associated human thinks generally revolves around believing that these representatives have us at their command and that's what scares them."

"Yeah I guess that would be quite daunting," he says, looking down at Cassia's hand, "Is that another assignment?"

"Unfortunately, yes."

"I suppose that means you'll be heading out again soon."

Cassia watches as Kai tries his best to hide his disappointment. They have spent the last two days together without any interruption from the less pleasant side of her life and for a while she was beginning to feel human again.

"No," she says.

Kai looks up with an expression of surprise and confusion plastered across his face, "No?"

"I'll start my hunt tomorrow. By that time I'll have no doubt that there will be a fresh trail which will make my tracking a lot easier. For now, I need food and rest."

"You want food? You're actually hungry?"

"I haven't eaten for the past three days; I've purposely worked up a bit of an appetite. It would be nice to somewhat enjoy eating a little."

Kai smiles, "I guess this means I'll be sharing my pizza with you then?"


End file.
